Heating system for railway cars



April 23, 1935. B. L, GATES HEATING SYSTEM FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed July 28, 1952 'Benjamin L,. fiaf es rwentor Attorney.

Patented Apr. '23, 1935 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HEATING SYSTEM FOR RAILWAY CABS Benjamin L. Gates, Spokane, Wash; assignor of one-gall to Hannah Luella Beamish, Spokane, Was

Application July 28, 1932, Serial No. 625,476

1 Claim. (01. 98-11) My present invention relates to an improved shown in Figure 1 a conventional freight car C heating system for railway cars which, while with its side door D, floor F, wheels W and under adapted for use in various types of railway cars rigging or frame R, and the equipment for venand other vehicles, is especially designed for use tilating and conditioning the interior of the car is with freight cars carrying perishable goods that installed beneath the car and supported on the 5 require an even temperature, and also require i g ng R, as indicated. l ventilation, while in transit over the railway. In The heating unit includes an outer jacket I carrying out my invention I provide means acand an nn r h ating box 2 t at ar spa d apart tuated by the traveling car for driving a ventilatoe m a p ce 3 w c i sulates the i ne ing fan, and the car equipment also includes an heating chamber within the box 2. The double 10 electric motor, adapted for use in lieu of the vewalled heating unit is fashioned with double hicle actuated mechanism while the car is stand- (1001's 4 d hinged a 6 n O de at acc ss may ing on 3, iding or in the yard, and by the alterreadily be had to the Oil burner 'I located within nateuse of the two mechanisms the interior of the the eat n cha e and the bu ne s sup car may be ventilated as required and the temwith oil pipe 8 fr m the Oi n and wi r 15 5 fan or blower.

perature maintained at a uniform degree for the to pp the o b st on W t n h heating protection of the goods or provisions within the chambercar. The air from the interior of the car to be treat- The vehicle-a tuat d u it a d th motor it ed is drawn from its central portion through the are provided with clutches, and a' single control ak p p "I and h i a p t II th p t, 20

' device, including a switch-jack is utilized for conas Shown in Fi ur 1 b in l ca d flush with the trolling the two clutches and the electric power to 11001 F the d the intake p p leading the motor, thereby facilitating the control of the therefrom to the air spa e 3 between the inne two driving units in relation to the ventilating and Outer Jackets 0 t e ea n u t- From the opposite side of the heating unit an outlet pipe The invention consists in certain novel combileads from the air Space 3 t0 the fan we nations and arrangements of parts involving the impeller I3 having a Central intake, a a above mentioned features as will hereinafter be Peripheral tangential Outlet p p in Order more fully set forth and claimed. In the aethat the air may be drawn from the air spac companying drawing I have illustrated one comthml-lgh the impeller d thence P d through 30 plete example of the physical embodiment of my the Outlet P p a h the ar he Outlet invention in th equipment for a railway car, air pipe l4 branches into two sections l5 and I 6, wherein the parts are combined and arranged acone leading to each end of the car, a cording to the best mode I have thus far devised municatihg With the interior of the Ca r u for the practical application of the principles of Ports in t e fl Dr F a ia ent he end Walls 30 my invention, but it will be understood that of the changes and alterations may be made therein, Thus, as i a d by t e lines of arrows in within the scope of my claim, without depart- Figure 1 the Within the Car s Pa ou h ing from the principles of my invention. P H and P p t0 the air p ce 3 d flows 40 Figure 1 is a vertical, longitudinal, sectional around the heating chamber 2 (by means of 40 view of a railway freight car equipped with the which the currents of air are warmed) and thence system of my invention, indicating by the arrows through the a blower or impeller 1 and the the movement of the air currents in ventilating currents of heated are distributed at Opposite d conditioning th air in t can ends of the car. In this manner the interior of Figure 2 is a horizontah longitudinal sectional the car is continuously ventilated, and the air is 4 view of the enclosures and equipment, supported maintained at predetermined temperature,

on th under rigging and beneath t can whic h of .course may be varied to suit diiferent Figure 3 is a perspective view in section of the condltlonsheating unit, of the equipment 'AS indicated in Figure 2 the fan blOWGl lS oper- 5 Figure 4 is an enlarged, detail view, partly in ated by belt drive from the p y 9 1 t s t o howing t m device or switch-jack countershaft 20 which is journaled transversely for the electric power and the two clutches of the 0f the car and pr vided with a driven gear 23 driving units of the equipment; and enclosed, with other parts or the mechanism,

In order that the general arrangement and rein a housing 24 located adjacent to the heating lation of parts may readily be understood I have unit.

--I on 2 1,99e,eos

An operating shaft, or clutch shaft 22 is also joumaled in the housing, parallel with the countershaft, and this clutch shaft is provided with a gear 23 that meshes with the driven gear 2| on the countershaft On one end of the shaft 22, exterior of the housing a pulley 25 is mounted over which passes a belt 26 and the belt is driven, as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1 from a pulley on the axle 21 of oneof the car wheels W. Two friction or cone clutches 28 and 28 are mounted on the clutch shaft, and the clutch device 28 is employed to transmit power developed from the axle 21, through the driving gear 23 and driven gear 2 I, to operate the fan blower while the railway car is traveling.

While the car is standing on a siding or in a railway yard, the clutch 28 is rendered inoperative, and the clutch 28 is employed to transmit power to the fan blower, which power is imparted to and through the clutch from the belt drive 30 and 3| of the electric motor 32, the latter also being enclosed in the housing 24.

The two clutches are simultaneously shifted, one into operation and the other out of operation, by the utilization of a single clutch lever 33, which is pivotally supported within the housing and connected in suitable manner with the clutch devices; Within the housing a lever rod 34 is pivotally connected to one end of the clutch lever, and this rod is slidable, transversely of the car in suitable bearings. One end of the slide rod is fashioned with a head 35, that is enclosed within a housing 36, and the rod is slidable in one of the walls of this housing as indicated in Figure 4. Between the wall of the housing 36 and the head 35 a spring 31 is interposed and coiled about the rod 34, and this spring is adapted to slide the rod 34 and swing the clutch lever 33 in such manner as to disengage the clutch 29 of the electric motor and engage the clutch 28 of the vehicleactuated driving mechanism. Thus, by use of the spring, the clutch of the electric drive is normally held inoperative, while the clutch of the vehicle-actuated drive for the fan blower is held in operation.

For controlling the two clutches and the supply of electric current to the motor I employ a portable switch jack having a handle 38 and plug 39, the latter being provided with spring blades 40 and terminals 4| for the wires 45 that may be attached by suitable means to a source of power, or electric current, and which pass through the hollow handle of the switch jack to the terminals.

The jack is plugged into a socket plug 42 which is secured in a hole in the wall of the housing 24 and provided with an attaching flange 43,

screws, bolts, or other fastening devices being used to secure the socket-plug to the wall of the housing.

Within the socket-plug are provided contact terminals 44 to which the wires 45 are connected, and of course the stationary terminals or contacts 44 are in position to receive contact from the sprlngblades 40 of the switch jack. The wires 45, as indicated in Figure 2 extend to the electric motor, and it will be apparent that the motor circuit is closed for the operationof the motor, when the jack is plugged in to the socket plug.

The plugging action of the jack also controls the two clutches 28 and 28, clutch 28 being disengaged and clutch 29 engaged, when the jack is inserted in the socket plug. For this purpose I employ a slide bolt 46 which is slidably supported in the socket-plug and in a hole in the housing 36, and the bolt is alined with the longitudinal axis of the jack. Thus, by the action of plugging in or pushing the Jack into its socket plug, the

bolt, which is in contact with the adjoining end.

of head 35 of the rod 34, pushes the rod to swing the clutch lever for controllingthe clutches. The jack and the socket-plug are provided with a lock in the form of a pin 41 and a bayonet slot 48, thereby permitting the jack to be turned slightly after insertion in the socket-plug, to lock the clutch device.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

In a ventilating system for railway cars including an air-heater, an air impeller and air pipes connecting said heater and impeller withthe interior of the car, of a vehicle-actuated mechanism including a clutch, an electric motor and its driving mechanism including a clutch for the driving mechanism, transmission mechanism between said mechanisms and the impeller, an electric control switch for said motor operating means for said switch, and means actuated by said operating means for alternately rendering active said clutches.

BENJAMIN L. GATES. 

